Ready for War of Democracy, Says Congress on LS Poll Dates

Battle of ballot has begun and the Congress is gearing up to romp home, said Congress media head Pawan Khera soon after the announcement of schedule for Lok Sabha polls. He exuded confidence over the party defeating the BJP and termed it as a special election as it would decide whether the country will run on pro-poor policies or pro-rich polices, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:The war of democracy has begun and the grand old party is ready for it, the Congress said on Saturday soon after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress has been out of power for 10 years, having lost the 2014 and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and is hopeful of defeating the BJP in 2024 based on the INDIA bloc formed last year.

“The voters have given a call. The war of democracy has begun and we are ready for it,” Congress media head Pawan Khera said. “This is not a general election. This is a very special election for India as it would decide whether the country will run on pro-poor policies or pro-rich policies. This election will also determine whether the country will run based on BR Ambedkar’s Constitution or by praising a dictator. The voters will give a blow to the pride of the dictator,” he said.

According to AICC secretary Abhishek Dutt, Rahul Gandhi's social justice plan will form the basis of the party’s poll campaign.“People take Rahul Gandhi and his promises seriously and they want to vote for a party that thinks about the youth,” said Dutt, adding, “Rahul Gandhi’s two nationwide yatras in the past flagged the concerns before the people. The youth need jobs and the farmers need protection.”

Noting there would be 18 million new voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Dutt recalled that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had reduced the voting age to 18 years to allow the young to participate in the democratic process. “Rahul Gandhi’s five guarantees are based on his interactions with people. They will impact the voters,” said former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo.

The Congress media head slammed PM, Modi, for questioning the governance of the grand old party, saying the premier had no right to “ask such questions when he did not visit strife-torn Manipur in the northeast and allowed corruption to take place in the sale of electoral bonds.”

“The corruption in the electoral bonds goes right up to the doorstep of the PM. He should be ashamed of asking questions about our governance. I challenge the PM to go to any university and talk to the students there. He would then know what they think of him,” said Khera.

Khera claimed the people were fed up with the Centre and would “rid the country of this government in two months.”

While welcoming the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission, the Congress leader expressed concern over the EC’s warning over hate speeches, saying the poll panel must keep a watch on such statements.

“Recently there was a report which showed that most cases of hate speeches took place in the BJP-ruled states. The BJP leaders are known for indulging in fake news. I don’t know what action the Election Commission took in those cases but we hope the poll panel will be fair this time, will not get blinded even if the complaint is against the PM or the HM and will implement the model code of conduct in letter and spirit,” said Khera. On the EC’s claim of fully backing the Electronic Voting Machines, the Congress leaders said the opposition had been expressing concern over the role of machines and had been creating public awareness over the issue in the past.